TOO Halting Promotions Due to CJ ENM Terminating Their Part In Contract

[dior-chic.livejournal.com]

CJ ENM has reportedly abruptly terminated their contract with TOO’s agency n.CH Entertainment.

TOO debuted last year through the Mnet survival program “World Klass,” and CJ ENM’s subsidiary label Stone Music Entertainment partnered up with n.CH Entertainment to manage the group. According to news outlet Newsen, the two companies started the joint project in October 2018, and they agreed to work together for seven years. It was decided that n.CH Entertainment will be in charge of management and promotions, while CJ ENM will take care of the album production and marketing aspects. As a result, they jointly released two albums in April and July last year.

Newsen further reported that after seven months, CJ ENM unilaterally terminated their contract with n.CH Entertainment due to internal restructuring and urged n.CH Entertainment to withdraw from all matters related to TOO. As a result, this put a halt to TOO’s album production, delaying the group’s third album.

More under the cut:

A source from CJ ENM shared, “The exclusive contract for TOO is with CJ. We have all rights to TOO, and we only entrusted n.CH Entertainment with some of the tasks, like management and PR (public relation) activities. We signed a management contract that lasted only until August, and the period ended. After three months of additional consultation, we failed to reach an agreement. We’ve had a month of additional negotiations, but it ended in late December. We could not reach an agreement, so the contract was terminated. All steps of the contract were carried out normally. It was an agency contract and not a joint management contract.”

In response to the situation, n.CH Entertainment stated, “We collaborated with CJ ENM to create Mnet’s ‘World Klass’ and even made TOO debut. When we first started working together, we planned to work together for the next seven years, so we’re very shocked that they suddenly changed their mind.”

They continued, “This is upsetting, but we have affection for the members, so we offered to manage them for the next two years, even if we don’t receive any compensation. However, they rejected us. We’re not able to communicate at all.”

They added, “This is a very important time for TOO. They have to release their next album and continue their activities, so it’s a pity that this issue is delaying them.”



TOO is a 10-member group that was formed by Mnet’s 2019 reality show “World Klass.” They debuted in February 2019 and were managed by both CJ ENM and n.CH Entertainment.

Sources: translated by L.Kim, original by Naver 1, 2

Comments

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

They don't want to handle this n-th survival show group, but are already planning a new one. Every news about cj-em and Mnet is always further proving they have no shame and can get away with everything. People were furious about produce 101 but still watch every new survival show they come up with, so yeah, why should they stop.

Another group exploited and thrown away at the whims of cj-em.

[dior-chic.livejournal.com]

‘People were furious about produce 101 but still watch every new survival show they come up with’

Yep :( people still tune in so they just continue to get away with it

[timetobegin.livejournal.com]

It's gross how they keep turning out these groups for the sake of tv and have no intention at all to follow up with them.

[dior-chic.livejournal.com]

Yea I’m not too familiar how this works, do they make a lot of money off of viewership? That’s all I can think of, that album sales isn’t enough for them? Because I don’t see the point of all this trouble doing a show and then when it comes to the actual group they’re like 🤷‍♀️

Also based on the comments at Soompi, CJ is a corporation that owns A LOT so what is happening here besides greed?

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

honestly a lot of the smaller survival shows don’t have good ratings at all. and i feel they don’t add to a group’s hype anymore than a good debut promo rollout (especially since survival shows can and do alienate fans, if their faves are voted out, etc). i never watched TOO’s, even belatedly, or any clips of it

a lot of the survival show groups that formed have had middling success (like pentagon, momoland’s first few eras, in2it) so maybe it’s just that they’re cheap to produce lol + mnet gets to have some exclusivity with those groups but idk

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Seriously, thank you. Just debuted and thrown away. These companies don't care these are actual people with dreams.

[vintage-boom.livejournal.com]

they aren't being thrown away, CJ is only cutting ties with their day to day managers and PR. I think TOO are fine.

[thebloomroom.livejournal.com]

This. Im so angry for these kids!! Enough is enough

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

not my fav rookies :( as always in these situations i feel bad for the members stuck in limbo because of companies handling their business immaturely. 'CJ ENM unilaterally terminated their contract with n.CH Entertainment due to internal restructuring and urged n.CH Entertainment to withdraw from all matters related to TOO' and 'We signed a management contract that lasted only until August' don't really add up either. was the contract only until august or did they force them to withdraw due to a restructuring?

n.ch were clearly doing a good job as well because they had me invested in them and i avoid groups from competition shows like the plague these days.

[pseudo-shigure.livejournal.com]

who rejected the agency's offer? the too members or cj?

[dior-chic.livejournal.com]

‘ so we offered to manage them for the next two years, even if we don’t receive any compensation. However, they rejected us. We’re not able to communicate at all.’

I think n.ch was trying to make a compromise at least so Too can continue with little issue for awhile but CJ ENM isn’t interested. I don’t think the members have any say here

[pseudo-shigure.livejournal.com]

those poor boys. cj is really shitty here. i wonder if perhaps they have their own agency and want to have the boys for themselves.

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

too are under stone music entertainment which is owned by CJ so that is basically what's happening they want to manage them by themselves going forward

[krissasaur]

I have no idea who they are but I feel so bad for them. Survival shows are the main reason I can't get into kpop anymore tbh. My trust was destroyed because of shit like this. lmao

[dantethetaco.livejournal.com]

I'm confused. Is CJ ending the partnership with n.CH and keeping TOO all for themselves? Or are they ending both the partnership and the group?

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

the former, CJ have terminated their contract with n.ch so TOO will now only be under stone music entertainment which is owned by CJ, nothing has been said about disbanding the group but until the companies resolve any dispute they won't be promoting

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

TOO were my fave rookies last year :( and they’ve been doing pretty well too, their 2nd mini sold 45k+ copies

i hope this gets solved quickly but if they’re fully under cj enm / stone music, i don’t know how well that would work out for them

[violoncelliste.livejournal.com]

noooooo i didn't follow the members personally but i loved their second mini. I hope they come up with a solution, the kids seem fun.

Once again I hate the concept of survival shows. I honestly do not see the appeal. But everyone complains and then they watch them anyway, I'm not surprised they keep making them ://

[xoxkenzxox.livejournal.com]

Reminder: kpop is about business. not dreams.

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Adults know that. It's not fair to expect kids entering the industry to know that.

[vintage-boom.livejournal.com]

It doesn't sound like this will effect TOO at all, maybe just a delay in their album. day to day management and PR can be done in house. Sounds like they didn't like the company's management style and decided to end their contract early.